Botti: Talaio: Desdemona (Concert Version)
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- Composer: Susan Botti (1962-)
- Format: Full Score
- Instrumentation: Soprano, Chamber Ensemble
- Work: Telaio: Desdemona (1995)
- Binding: Spiral Bound
- Work Languages: English, Italian
- Size: 14.0 x 8.5 inches
Description
Telaio: Desdemona is an operatic soliloquy - a character study of Shakespeare's Desdemona from Othello, the tragic story of jealousy and betrayal. Set in Venice and on the island of Cyprus, the play depicts the intense love between the exotic Moor, Othello, and the Venetian lady, Desdemona, their subsequent elopement, and finally the unraveling of their love through the manipulations of Othello's standard-bearer, Iago. Unable to tolerate Iago's insinuations about Desdemona's fidelity, Othello strangles his wife despite her protestations of innocence.
The soloist performs two "roles": the narrator and "Desdemona." The narrator, in recitatives, describes Desdemona through a collage of texts from Othello which are second-hand descriptions of her personality, words, and/or actions (originally spoken by other characters in the play). in arias, the character of Desdemona speaks through the poetry of an Italian Renaissance woman, Gaspara Stampa, and in traditional Italian folksong.
For the recitatives, the music is driven by the words, and the instrumentation focuses on the piano, harp, and percussion. in contrast, the arias are more emotional and lyrical and are accompanied by the string quartet.
The Italian word "telaio" literally means "frame"- as in the frame of a loom used for weaving. Telaio: Desdemona explores this image in several ways. First, the entire piece serves as a frame within which threads of the character of Desdemona are woven, and out of which her portrait emerges. Secondly, I have used the traditional forms of recitative and aria to serve as a series of smaller frames within the overall structure. Lastly, the word "telaio" is a pun - in Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona is in essence "framed" by Iago.
Instrumentation: soprano, string quartet, harp, piano, percussion
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Botti: Talaio: Desdemona (Concert Version)
